


Hope(less)

by Akoia



Category: Naruto
Genre: Mentions of Human Experiments, Murder, OC-centric, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Seeing the future, Underage Drinking, Violence, for like a second, mentions of an arranged marriage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2019-10-12 01:36:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17458124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akoia/pseuds/Akoia
Summary: She had one rule, don't be noticed. Don't do anything strange, don't let anyone know. She planned to live the rest of her life in the no-name, rundown village she found herself in, helping run an inn. But secrets always come out. (Oc/Semi-SI)





	1. Secrets

**Author's Note:**

> Back at it again with a semi-SI/Oc story. 
> 
> This one is inspired by The Price of Living by LovelyWeather on FF. net  
> Enjoy it anyways

_"I'd learned that some things are best kept secret."_  
_― Nicholas Sparks, Dear John_

* * *

Brooms made from straw worked surprisingly well on wooden floors. She opened the paper doors and swept all the dust out of the front room and wiped her forehead with the sleeve of the black yukata she wore. The thing was filthy, she'd have to wash it when she went to do the rest of the laundry by the river. The summer heat beat down upon her head mercilessly. She propped the broom against the wall and closed the door. She rubbed the back of her neck, trying to ease the sore muscles, but it did her little good. She must have slept wrong or something.

"Fumi," a soft voice called to her. She turned and a woman in her mid-fifties poked her head through the doorway of the hallway. "You should take a break," she said. Her hair was tied in a bun, a few strands coming loose, and hanging in her face. She looked  _exhausted._

"Can't," the young woman said, readjusting her ponytail with the leather cord that had slipped down. "There's still work to do. It's the festival season, or did you forget?" She cast a teasing grin to the woman who sighed and her shoulders sagged, knowing a lost battle when she saw one. As much as Fumi wished she could just quit working, the thought of not having things to do made her teeth itch. Otherwise, she'd start having those  _visions._ Fumi shook her head and grabbed the empty bucket that rested at her seat. "There might be customers coming as soon as tomorrow morning. We need to look good, don't we?"

"I doubt anyone will come," the older woman said. She walked into the room and took the bucket from Fumi, setting it back down on the ground. "I appreciate your dedication to your chores, but you're too young to be stuck inside on such a beautiful day, and I know you haven't been sleeping much."

She was quiet and crossed her arms over her chest. "It's...been happening again," she said. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, the images of the previous night flashed across the inside of her eyelids and she opened them quickly.

"Ah, I see," the older woman reached up and cupped Fumi's cheeks. "We do not know why the gods gave you this gift, child, but you should not fear it."

 _This again?_ Was the instant thought that ran through her mind. Akira could never understand. "I know," Fumi said, pulling away from her foster mother. "I just wish...that they would spare me the more violent ones." She reached down and quickly grabbed the bucket, already walking out of the room. "I'll take a break after I finish the floors." She heard her name being called but didn't turn around. She turned on the water and put the bucket under the faucet. She watched it fill up, letting her mind go blank. When it was full she turned off the water and squinted, watching a single drop of water disappear into the bucket. An entity that had once been solitary, becoming just another part of a larger whole. She grabbed a rag from the drawer, throwing it into the water.

It was simple work, though it made her fingers ache. It didn't take her longer than an hour to scrub all the floors in the entire inn. She dumped the leftover water into the bushes and sat down on the stone steps. She could see that there were other people still hard at work. There were forty-one people who lived in the village, and Fumi knew each of them by name. They treated her like she'd lived there all her life, though it had only been about nine years by that point.

A child of seven years had stumbled from the woods surrounding the village, no one reported her missing, no one came forward to claim her. The child could not speak the language, babbling desperate nonsense. If anyone had been able to understand her, she would have told them of the black hole that swallowed her up when she'd been on vacation with her family. But there was nowhere for the child to go. Akira had taken her in, taught her to speak, how to use chopsticks, how to put on the confusing clothing that was given to her, even taught the child to play the shamisen to entertain herself.

Then around the age of eleven, the child began to have visions. Small things in the beginning. It wouldn't rain that day, or a cart would pass through the village. It was nothing remarkable until she'd seen a man in her dream rob one of the houses next to them. She'd told Akira who thought the child was just being silly  _until_ it had happened a few nights later. It was a tragedy that the entire village felt when the bodies of their neighbors were discovered. Akira asked a lot of  _questions_ after that. How? Why? When? But in the end, the woman decided that Fumi should  _never_ tell another soul about her visions. Their village lay on the border between  _Hi no Kuni (the land of fire)_ and  _Ta no Kuni (the land of rice fields)._ All it would take was  _one_ nosey shinobi to hear something, and Akira would lose her daughter forever.

But the child grew, without incident, living the average life for someone living in the 'outer villages'. She worked her fingers to the bone, she played music and poured drinks for guests at the inn, she never learned how to read, the most expensive thing she owned was a soft blue obi that she  _never_  wore when she was working. Life was simple, it was easy. It  _was_ easy.

Her vision the night before had been... _strange._ She was laying on what appeared to be a medical table, while a man in round glasses spoke casually to her, while he stuck a needle in her arm. Most of his face was cast in shadows, and she couldn't really make out any other features, but Fumi had the feeling she didn't like that man very much. But he was  _taking her blood._ She flinched and covered the spot on her arm where she'd felt the needle pierce her skin.

There were weeds in the flower beds.

She kneeled down and grabbed a few, ripping them out of the ground.

The door opened and Akira stood there, arms crossed over her chest, irritation  _radiating_  off her. "If you  _insist_ on doing this to your poor mother, why don't you help the guests who just checked in," she said, though it was clearly an order.

"I'm a mess," Fumi said, looking at the dirt under her nails.

"Wash up first, they're waiting to be served drinks." Akira stood to the side and pointed inside. "These are important people!"

"Meh? Who are they?" Fumi asked, standing up and wiping her hands on her yukata.

"They're visitors from Knoaha who are stopping in for the night.  _Shinobi,_ Fumi!"

Fumi's face scrunched up in disgust. "Perhaps show them the door instead?" She suggested.

"None of that!" Akira pushed her inside. "Remember, service with a smile!"

"Very well, it can't be helped I guess," Fumi looked over to the closed door where their guests were sat. She looked over lazily at the older woman, lips twitching up. "Bet you're glad I scrubbed those floors."

"Go," Akira said, nudging Fumi towards the room they shared behind the front desk. "Wear the hairpin that Kaito-kun gave you!"

Fumi closed the door. First, she stripped and rolled her eyes when she saw the water already waiting for her. She washed off the best she could without a proper bath. Then she tied her light brown hair up, finding that hairpin she'd been gifted in a basket of her odds-and-ends. She found the light pink Houmongi with white flowers along the bottom that she kept in her closet and made sure it was free of dust before putting it on and tying the obi around her waist. She was finished dressing thirty minutes later and quickly made her way to the kitchen where Akira had the tray waiting for her.

"Really?" Fumi asked, picking it up, swirling the plum wine around in the bottle.

"Yes, remember..." Akira raised an eyebrow sternly.

Fumi stretched her lips wide enough that it  _hurt._ "Service with a smile."

"Good, keep them happy Fumi, they seem like nice young men."

Fumi inclined her head and took the tray, tucking it under her arm, holding the three small cups and the bottle in the other hand. She heard Akira grumble softly and giggled softly. She stopped outside the door and placed to tray on the ground, arranging the cups and the wine. She got down on her knees, in the 'polite' form and knocked on the wood of the door, before sliding it open. The conversation in the room stopped and Fumi stood smoothly, taking the tray with her.

"Good afternoon," she said, a humble smile gracing her face. "I have brought your drinks." They'd already been served food and seemed like they were only about halfway through it. She was a  _bit_ worried she'd taken too long. She entered the room, closing the door behind her.

"Wonderful!" A tall man with his headband tied around his neck clapped his hands. "Come, sit by me," he said, gesturing to the cushion to his left. Fumi bowed and shuffled over to him. She put the tray down on the table and tucked her legs under her. She passed out the cups and uncorked the bottle of wine with a little difficulty. "Thank you, dear, now why don't you pour the first round." He grinned at her, putting a hand between her shoulder blades. She tried not to press her lips together, or show any outward signs that she was disgusted.

She poured the drinks for the people sitting across from them first then poured for the shinobi who was still touching her. "Kanpai," the man said, raising his glass. The other two raised their own glasses and the three men threw their drinks back.

"I should get back to my chores," Fumi said, standing up. "If there's anything I can do to make your stay more enjoyable, please do not hesitate to ask."

* * *

Akria was there the second she left the room a grin on her face. " _So,"_ she said, taking Fumi by the arm. "What did you think of them."

"Their leader is the kind of man who would pour his own drink," she said with a roll of her eyes. "The other two didn't talk to me, though I suppose they must have more manners."

"You shouldn't say things like that," Akira scolded lightly. She pressed a little closer to Fumi. "Were any of them... _handsome?"_

Fumi blushed her eyes going wide. " _Mother,"_ she hissed, looking behind her, almost expecting to see one of the shinobi listening to them gossip. "Where did  _that_ come from?"

"Well, all I'm saying is you'll be twenty in two years, it's expected that you'd be looking for a husband."

" _What? No!"_

"Alright, alright," Akira held up her hands, a secret smile twisting on her lips. "But I wouldn't be upset if you left the village to marry a shinobi, so long as you made sure you came home to visit your mother once in a while."

Fumi looked around the room and shook her head. "There are weeds that need to be pulled in the garden," she said walking back to her room.

Her mother stopped her and shook her head. "No! Wait, make a good impression on those men! Even if you aren't  _interested,_ they might talk about us to their comrades, they might bring more customers."

Fumi lowered her head and whined quietly. "Alright, then what would you have me do?"

"Go make sure that the rooms are all spotless," Akira said, pushing her towards the stairs. "Just make sure to keep your clothes clean. You're serving dinner to the guests tonight."

Fumi felt her eye twitch but nodded quickly. She could handle Akira's meddling, no problem. But it was still  _annoying._ She wandered through the halls and checked all four rooms, none of which had a speck of dirk in them. She knew that already, but she just needed to keep her mind busy. While she was heading down the stairs, the shinobi were coming up, so she stopped to give them space before passing them. Her eye was caught by the man with silver hair. She couldn't quite place it, but he seemed so familure to her. He must have felt her looking at him. He stopped and turned around. She stared at him for a second and he gave her an easy smile and a small wave. She bowed her head before walking quickly down the stairs.

* * *

_"Have you been telling lies, Fumi-chan?" A voice whispered dangerously in her ear._

_"No," she said, voice shaking._

_"I think you_ have, _" the voice reached out and grabbed her by the throat, tightening his grip to the point where she couldn't breathe. She was scared, more afraid then she thought she'd ever been in her entire life. "I'll give you one chance to tell me the truth, if you don't, I'll have to show you the error of your ways." He moved his hand and looked at her expectantly. His amber eyes danced with equal measures of amusement and annoyance. She was_  terrified  _by what_ _might happen if she tipped the scales one way or the other._

She woke up with a gasp, shooting out of her futon. She put a hand to her chest, her heart hammered in her chest. She looked over at Akira who was still sleeping soundly. She took a few steady breaths, moving her hand to her neck, where she could still feel the phantom grasp of that stranger. What did that mean?  _Why_ was she seeing that?  _Who_ was that stranger, and why was he strangling her. She looked out the window, watching the sun slowly rise. She got out of bed, folding it up and storing it away. She had work to do.

* * *

She wasn't sorry to see the back of them when they left two days later. She was finally allowed to put on her grubby working clothes and get something productive done. "We should go to the market," Fumi said when she saw that they were out of... _everything._ "Those shinobi ate everything."

Akira poked her head into the cupboards, a frown on her face. "Yes, I suppose I can ask Sora to take you today."

"I don't need an escort," Fumi said insistently. "Saito-san has more important things to do than cart me to a town that's only half a day's walk away."

"Well you may not  _need_ one, but it would make feel a lot better if you had one with you anyways." Akira pulled out the money that they kept in a small lockbox. "I'll even give you a little extra money to get yourself something nice if you agree to take him with you."

Fumi tapped her fingers against the counter and held out her hand. " _Fine,_ I suppose it wouldn't be  _that bad_ if he trailed along."

Akira chuckled and winked softly. "I'll go ask him then," she said, handing over the money. She left Fumi alone to go across the dirt road to their next door neighbor.

Sora Siato was a man of about twenty-one years old. He always looked tired, which made sense, considering he worked through most of the night. He agreed to Akira's bribery and met Fumi outside the inn, a hesitant smile on his face. He carried himself like a man who was already in his twilight years would. He seemed much wiser than most people who lived in the village. Fumi thought he was an interesting man to talk to. He always had the strangest stories to tell, and Fumi was sure that he more or less made it up as he went along.

"We'll be taking the cart," he said, gesturing for her to follow him. "I have a few things I had to pick up a few things for the farm, so it's nice that we can go together. This trip always seems much shorter when you have someone to share it with."

Fumi smiled and cast her eyes to the side. "Yeah, it'll be nice," she said. Sora had his cart ready to go. He helped Fumi into the seat next to his. He cracked the reigns and they were off. The dapple gray horse huffed and trotted on. Most of the road was shaded by trees, much to Fumi's relief. She wasn't a  _huge_ fan of the sun in the summer. So the journey was thankful, much cooler than most weather she'd felt in years.

Kyuri village was much larger than the one Sora and Fumi lived in. It had a bustling marketplace, even a castle. It might have been a fortress, at one point, but the wall had been taken down, and it was open for anyone to visit. Sora and Fumi split apart, agreeing to meet up again after a few hours. They'd have to stay overnight in the village, or they'd be traveling in the dark. Wolves, bandits, rainstorms. There was no end of trouble they could get into if they did that.

Fumi wandered the streets, her basket in hand. She didn't much have a mind for haggling so she paid whatever the merchant asked her to pay. She mostly just bought what would hold longer. Produce and fish were things that Fumi and Akira could buy from the people in the village. But everything else... She turned a can of corn over in her hands, eyebrows frowning. She shrugged and added it to her basket.

"You there," someone called to her excitedly. Fumi turned around and saw an old woman who was selling kyōwagasa. "You look like a distinguished young woman," she said. "You should consider buying one of these."

Fumi knew she was being flattered, but went over to inspect them anyway. They  _were_ lovely. Fumi picked up a white one that had a pretty flower pattern on it. "I'd like this one," she said, already handing over the money. The woman thanked her and Fumi left the market to find Sora's cart. It was already packed full of farming equipment. "It's not going to rain tonight," Sora said. "I paid a man to let us sleep in his barn, hope that's alright with you."

"I don't mind," she said. "So long as it's dry, it's fine."

Sora chuckled and lowered his head, snapping the reins forward. The barn was towards the end of town, nestled between two hills, and right in front of a small stream. There were a few cows, but otherwise, it seemed clean enough. The farmer had even laid out blankets for them.

Fumi settled in her bedding and watched Sora who was shuffling around the back of the cart, putting wooden blocks by the wheels so it wouldn't roll away. She turned over and curled up a bit tighter. There was a breeze. She'd let her hair loose and it fell in her face, tickling her nose.

This reminded her of something from Before. Her grandfather owned a farm. Fumi and her brother used to play there. She didn't often think about Before, but when she did, it was like a spiral, and she remembered other things. Songs, movies, books, talking yellow sponges. Sometimes she wondered if her parents thought about her, though they hardly ever crossed her mind. She wondered if they'd be at peace if they knew she was happy. Did they think she was dead? Had anyone seen what had happened to her? So many questions she almost couldn't bear to ask herself.

Sora laid down on a pile of hay a few feet away from her and was snoring almost as soon as he closed his eyes. She envied him. What were his dreams like? Were they as peaceful as he was? She hoped so. If anyone deserved good dreams, it was Sora.

* * *

Nothing had changed since she'd been home. Her mother was handling everything alright on her own. "Ah, welcome home," she'd said with a cheerful voice.

"Good to be back," Fumi said with a bright smile. "Any customers while I was away?" She asked, setting the basket of goods down on the counter.

"Actually-" Akira was interrupted by the door sliding open. The man who interrupted seemed surprised, blinking when he noticed Fumi standing there. "Shinobi-san, this is my daughter Fumi," Akira said. She put a hand on her daughter's back and pushed her forward, towards the ninja who smiled politely. "Why don't you show him around town," she said, wiggling her eyebrows.

"There's...not much to see," Fumi said, looking between the two of them. "If you walked here, I think you've seen it all."

" _Indulge him,"_ Akira said, pushing her closer to the shinobi, and pushing the both of them out the front door. Fumi reached to open it and hissed when Akira locked it.

"I...I'm sorry about her," Fumi said, feeling her cheeks coloring slightly. "I get the feeling she won't let me back inside until I show you around."

"Well, thank you," he said. He pushed his glasses up, the light glinting off of them. "How rude of me, I haven't introduced myself." He held out his hand to her. "Kyo Nakamura, a pleasure, I'm sure."

Fumi felt her shoulders relax when she took his hand. His dark grey eyes sparked in curiosity and the two of them pulled away at the same time. "The pleasure is mine," she said. She turned and gestured toward the village. "Let's get going."


	2. Questions

_"Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers."_  
_― Voltaire_

* * *

"Have you lived here all your life?" Kyo asked, falling into step beside her.

"Oh, no, actually," Fumi said. "I can't remember where I was from originally. I kind of just stumbled into the village one day and Akira adopted me."

"That was very kind of her," the young man said. "How old were you when they found you?"

"Seven, I believe. That was nine years ago."

He hummed and titled his head to the side. "This is such a small place to grow up, do you wish that you could travel?"

"Maybe one day, but for now I'm content to stay here."

"Do other people come to visit often?"

She covered her mouth and laughed quietly. She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding?" She paused, waiting for him to laugh or indicate in some way that he  _had_ been pulling her leg. She backed up slightly when the look of confusion only grew. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were seriously messing with me." She pushed her hair behind her ear. "No, we don't get visitors. In fact, this village isn't even on any maps because it doesn't... _technically_ exist. It's more or less a road stop."

"Then why run an inn?" He asked.

"My mother just thought it would be something useful. We don't get many customers, but the ones they do, like your team, they pay enough to keep us through the year."

"Ah, I suppose that makes sense. You seem mostly self-reliant. Streams for fishing fields good enough to plant food in." He looked around the village and hummed, worrying his lip between his teeth. "You're correct, I'm not sure I knew this place existed, and I've been this way many times before."

"Yeah, there are some pros and cons to that. For one, we don't pay taxes to the Daimyo. But on the other hand, it's really scary when someone gets sick or hurt around here," she said, scratching her arm. "The closest doctor is half a day away, sometimes, they don't get here on time."

"That must be hard," he said. "Aren't you worried about being caught in the middle of skirmishes between shinobi?" He asked.

"Not really," she said. "I guess because it's never happened before, none of us even think about it. The only shinobi village I can think of, even remotely close to us is Konoha. And your village doesn't seem like the type to attack some no-name speck in the middle of nowhere just  _because_."

He was lost in his thoughts again, looking around him curiously. The people in the village gave him a glance before moving on to do their work. "Do you receive news about the world from here?" He asked.

"No, we live in a bubble, more or less. We're stuck in the time period from before Konoha was founded unless someone goes out of their way to find information."

"Huh." Kyo smiled down at her and gestured towards the rest of the village. "Let's continue the tour, shall we?"

* * *

 _Running, she was running. She could feel blood running down the side of her face. She tripped and managed to brace herself against a tree. She pressed her hand against the wound on her head, breathing deeply. She looked behind her and bit back a sob at the burning village she'd just escaped to. If she could_ just  _get over the border, she could get help. She stumbled weakly forward, using the tree to support herself. Her vision was swimming, she blinked rapidly. She gasped when she heard someone jump from the trees and land in front of her. She backed up, lost her footing, and almost fell over if it wasn't for strong arms that pulled her back on her feet._

 _"It's alright," Kyo said, holding his hands up. "It's just me, I'm here to help. My team and I saw the smoke while we were on our way home. Come on, I'll take you to safety." He held his hand out to her and Fumi felt tears well up in her eyes at the_ relief  _s_ _he felt at hearing those words. She took his hand and he smiled easily at her. The light from the flames dance across the lenses of his glass, temporarily obscuring his eyes from her view. Was it her imagination or...?_

_"You're hurt," he said, gently pushing her hair behind her ear, looking at the wound at the side of her head. "Here, let me heal that for you." His hand glowed green, clashing against the red of the air around them and-_

* * *

She woke up screaming. She smacked at the hands trying to grab her, when she opened her eyes she saw her mother, grabbing her face. "Hush, my love, hush," she whispered when Fumi's screams turned to soft whimpers. "It's alright, you're here, in the  _now."_

 _"_ I...I saw-"

There was a knock on their door. "Is everything alright?!" Kyo's voice asked. "We heard screaming!"

Akira stood and opened the door. "Yes, thank you shinobi-san," she said, taking a few deep breaths. "Fumi-chan is prone to night terrors. We're sorry for disturbing you. Please, go back to sleep, don't let this trouble you."

"If you're sure..."

"Yes, don't worry, I'm experienced in handling this." She bowed to him and closed the door, before rushing back to Fumi's side. The girl was hunched over, hugging herself, rocking back and forth. "Hush, hush, please try and keep your voice down." She held Fumi tightly, covering her mouth. "Don't let them hear you. We don't want them to be suspicious. Tell me what you saw, and be still," she said, moving her hand.

Fumi opened and closed her mouth a few times before sighing and rubbing her face. "The village it was burning, I was running away." She touched her head, sighing in relief when she felt no blood. "Kyo-san found me, he said he'd come to help when he saw the smoke. I think we were under attack."

"What?" Akira whispered. "No one would...but I suppose if you  _saw_ it..." she stood anxiously and paced the room. "We should make an escape plan, just in case. It isn't  _so_ out of the realm of possibility that we might be attacked by bandits. I'm sure everyone would agree that we would benefit from a plan." She reached down and took her daughter's hands in her own. "See, my dear, there's no reason to be afraid. We'll work this out."

"Yeah..." Fumi said, before laying back down and passing out.

* * *

She sat outside on a stone out front of the inn, watching the birds flying overhead. She  _wished_ she could fly just like them. It would be amazing, she wouldn't have  _anything_ to worry about if she was a bird. She took in a deep breath when she felt the wind blow against her face. If she closed her eyes, she could pretend. Holding her arms out on either side of her as she let her head tilt back and imagined what life could be like if she was allowed to fly as free as the birds. Where would she go, what would she see, who would she meet?

She used to be a very quiet child, even Before. It seemed she'd reverted back to that a bit. She hadn't spoken much since her dream, only what was necessary. Kyo and his team would be leaving that morning, so she slipped off the rock and opened the door, greeting them silently while they checked out with her mother. The leaf shinobi were all packed up, their gear slung over their backs. "Have a safe journey," Fumi said, leaning against the wall.

Kyo looked over at her and smiled. "Thank you for your continued hospitality!"

"It's nothing," she shook her head. "We're very happy to have you here."

They left and Fumi watched the back of them, standing in the doorway of the inn, before shutting it quietly. Akira moved closer and rested a hand on her arm. "Don't worry," she said. "We've already started working on an evacuation plan if such a thing is ever necessary." She rubbed Fumi's arm and pulled her further inside the inn, directing her to sit at the table, bringing out two bowls of egg and rice. The two of them sat in silence, eating. Akira kept looking up from her bowl of rice and giving Fumi odd looks. When Fumi was finished she pushed her bowl away and stood. Akira reached out and grabbed her by the wrist. "Wait, let me talk to you for a moment."

Fumi looked over her shoulder before nodding and sitting. Akira looked  _exhausted._  Her hair fell around her face in strands, the rest pulled back into a messy bun. How many hours had she stood vigil while Fumi slept uneasily after the vision? She took Fumi's hands in her, squeezing them gently. "I'm okay," Fumi said.

"I know, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about," Akira said, squeezing just a little tighter. "I noticed that you and Kyo-san grew a bit closer.  _And_ you mentioned that he was in your dream. I'm happy about that, I am."

"We had  _one_ walk together," Fumi said flatly.

"Be that as it may, there's something you need to keep in mind. No matter how helpful he was, or how polite, or how kind, you must  _never_ tell him about your visions. Kyo-san is a shinobi of a hidden village, and like all his comrades, he is a shinobi  _before_ he is your friend."

Fumi blinked, confused, tilting her head to the side. "Why...would I tell him?" She asked.

"I know it must be a strange thing for me to ask, but humor me anyway. Will you swear to me that you'll  _never_ tell him."

"Alright, I promise."

Akira sighed, letting the weight fall from her shoulders. "Good...thank you."

* * *

There were no guests at the inn, so Fumi went to help Sora and his uncle harvest their crops. In exchange, they would normally give her whatever they had extra of, for her and Akira. She groaned loudly when she felt the pain in her back flare up from hours of working under the hot sun. Her straw hat did very little to keep the sun from burning her skin. She was going peal! She saw Sora's uncle, a small decrepit old man, looked as if he hadn't even really broken a sweat. He told her that the young shouldn't complain about working because their bodies were at their prime. She had to agree when she saw him plowing away like there was no tomorrow.

By the time they were finished, the sun was already falling over the horizon. Sora invited her in for a cup of tea after biding his uncle goodnight. His home was simple but cozy, just like the man who owned it. He gestured for her to sit at the table and returned a few minutes later with two large cups of steaming green tea. He set it down in front of her gently.

She thanked him and took a drink. It warmed her up and she sighed happily. "Thank you, Sora-san," she said with a bow of her head.

"We...should get married."

She paused and blinked, trying to uncover if she'd heard him right. "Excuse me, what?" She asked.

"I think the two of us should get married. If we did, we could even move somewhere else, if it would make you happy," he said.

"But why? We don't really know much about each other."

"Yes, but I...I think we would make a good match." He cleared his throat. "I would do what I could to make you happy."

"But you don't love me," she said. "And I don't love you."

"We do not have the luxury to marry for love," Sora said. "If it were up to me, I would have left years ago with Rin. But people in our station of life, the  _very bottom,_ we have to marry smart. I am  _fond_ of you, and my father urged me to ask you for your hand. I know that this isn't the fairytale you would have wanted, but would you at least consider it?"

In a way, a  _sad_ way, he was right. Sora's family and Fumi's mother both had money, something  _rare_ in their village. They were not rich, by any stretch of the imagination, but combining those two slightly less poor families could reap some not insignificant benefits for the entire village. They might even be able to do outside trading with other villages with their own goods if we could pay the money to sign a contract. They could become  _real_ members of a country, under the protection of the Daimyo. If they were married, the lives of the people around them would be better.

And Fumi couldn't see Sora being unkind to her, she felt like he really  _was_ a man she could see herself falling in love with him one day. "I...yeah I'll think about it," she relented. That was all she could, or would, promise at that time. She finished her tea and left as soon as she could, giving him a polite goodbye to Sora, closing the door behind her before he could say anything.

She walked through the dirt roads of the village, waving to the people who stopped her to say hello. She wondered how many people were in on the whole 'getting married' thing. It would have had to be something that the elders in the village knew about, at the least. She slammed the door of the inn open and glared at Akira who was startled, dropping her sewing needle. "Did you know?!" Fumi demanded, stepping inside so no one could hear them. "Did you know that Sora was going to propose to me?"

"Yes, I knew," Akira said, picking up the things she'd dropped. "His uncle came to ask me a few weeks ago. I told him that I wasn't going to make that choice for you. If Sora wanted to marry you, he'd have to ask you himself."

Fumi grumbled and pulled on her hair. "You guys can't just...just  _do_ that! I don't love him! I can't marry him!"

Akira sighed and nodded. "Yes, I understand. So you told him no?"

"I said I'd think about it." She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away from Akira. "I'm only considering it because he brought up a few good points. If I  _did_ lose my mind and marry a man I hardly know, then we'd be able to use our combined resources to make things better here. But are things really that bad?" She asked.

Akira looked down sadly and nodded. "There was...a message sent to use. The daimyo of  _Hi no Kuni_  wants us to start paying taxes. He says, apparently, that he'd send shinobi from Konoha to 'deal' with us if we didn't."

"But we're not even technically  _in_ that country."

"Exactly," she said. "The daimyo from  _Ta no Kuni_ gave us a cheaper deal. If we agreed to become a part of their country he would allow us two years to build up enough funds to start paying taxes. Sora's great aunt passed away two months ago, leaving him a fair fortune, however, he cannot claim it until he's married. He likes you, he thinks you're a charming young woman, he thought it was better you than anyone else."

"What about Rin?" She asked, throwing her hands up. "Why can't  _she_ just come back and marry him? They were in love before!"

"Because she's already married, and has a child on the way." Akira put a hand on Fumi's arm. "You shouldn't feel like you  _have_ to marry Sora-san. He could marry Usagi-san or possibly Eiko-san."

Fumi flinched in disgust. Usagi had  _just_ turned 15 and Eiko was only 13. They were the only eligible girls in the village, besides Fumi. But they were still just kids, and there was no way that she would be able to sleep at night, knowing she'd condemned a  _child_ to be someone's bride. "Why does it have to be someone from  _this_ village?"

"Because Sora's family could not afford a dowry, not without the money. A violent cycle."

Fumi leaned against the counter and rested her forehead against the cool wood. "Maybe...you could even run a successful inn, if Sora and I married, we could advertise." She heard Akira start to speak, but held up her hand. "No...no just, stop," she whispered. She would have been perfectly happy to never marry. To be the unimportant innkeeper's daughter. But if  _she_ didn't marry Sora, either the entire village would be destroyed or one of the young girls would be pressured into marrying him. She wondered, what would life be like as someone's wife? She pressed a hand to her chest and resigned herself to the fate that would make everyone's lives better. Everyone but  _her,_ that was.

"Fine..." she said, straightening her spine. "I'll marry him."

* * *

That was  _big_ news in the village. They all got together to celebrate, and Fumi tried to keep a smile on her face, though she would have rather thrown herself into the ocean than pretend that everything was alright. Sora was next to her and gave her a rueful smile. "If I makes you feel  _any_ better, I don't want to go through with this either."

"Why would I be happy that you were just as unhappy as me?" She asked, not looking at him. Good,  _that_ was something the two of them could bond over. Being  _miserable._ She threw back another drink when an older woman poured one for her. She wished she could just throw back one after the other, and forget all her problems. But she was sure that someone would take offense to that and cut her off at some point.

Someone put a cooked fish in front of her, and she ate it automatically, watching the people celebrate. She'd be fine, she knew that rationally. It's not like Sora was some kind of monster, he was just...bland. Which was one of the worst parts about marrying him. She finished her dinner and when it was acceptable, she was the first one leave the celebration.

The date was set for a month from then, where she and Sora would make their way to the Shinto temple in the next town over, and offer their vows to the gods. Then they'd go together to  _Ta no Kuni_ to claim Sora's inheritance, and pay the daimyo their respects -as well as their taxes-and ask him to officially recognize their village as a part of his country. All that madness so one of the two countries could get a few miles of extra land.

Fumi laid on her bedding and looked up at the ceiling, blinking slowly. Would he expect her to give him children? Would she be a good mother? She'd never thought about it before. Well, if she did have children, she wanted to be good to them. She wanted to give them everything she didn't while she was growing up. For one thing, she'd make sure they all knew how to read. Not being able to read had been...inconvenient for Fumi, from time to time. So she'd make sure whatever children she had would have every opportunity she didn't.

* * *

 _There was a battle, fought viciously between three enemies. Two of them were teaming up against the third. The third was holding his arm, panting deeply, his glasses slipping off his face. He didn't try and slip them back on, too busy trying to find the best way to escape. He was strong,_  knew  _he was strong, yet these two_ nobodies  _had gotten the best of him. He lashed out with two kunai growling in anger when one of his enemies just turned into a log._

 _He stopped caring when that enemy appeared behind him and shoved his sword through his chest. He reached up and touched the blade, falling to his knees._ _"Ah, sorry," the man said with a laugh. "Seems I left something in your back."_ _He grunted when the man put a foot on his back and pulled the sword out him, twisting it as he did._

 _He reached out, trying to grab his last kunai, but the other enemy, a woman, kicking it away from him. They turned him over and laughed at him while he died. He cursed them to his dying breath. It_ hurt.  _He could feel the blood filling his lungs. It was a really shity situation. He cast a final look up into the sky and wondered, who would be there to greet him in the afterlife? He was almost certain that there was no afterlife, but if there was, he doubted he'd be joining Nonou. Thought maybe he would? Maybe she would be his tormentor for all of eternity._

* * *

Fumi snapped her eyes open, the air freezing in her throat. It took her a few seconds before she was able to swallow the panic she was feeling. Her friend, if she could consider him that, was in danger.  _Real_ danger. She sat up slowly and looked at her mother who was dreaming peacefully. It hadn't even been a week, and she knew that she would be breaking her promise. If Fumi saw Kyo before his horrid fate came to pass, she was going to tell him. She couldn't just stand by and  _let_ him die.

She got out of bed to begin her chores. There was no way she'd be able to fall asleep again after a vvisionlike that. It was fine, the floors needed to be clean anyway.


	3. Broken Vows. Broken Mirriors.

_Broken vows are like broken mirrors. They leave those who held to them bleeding and staring at fractured images of themselves._

 

 

 

_\- Richard Paul Evans_

 

* * *

The date of her wedding was fast approaching. Another nine days and she would be whisked away to pay her respects to the Dymio with her husband. She wondered if he expected children? She didn't mind that thought, actually. She just hoped that he'd wait until she was at least in her mid twenties. She felt like she was still too young to be a good mother. He'd understand, she was sure. 

 _Before,_ her father used to say that she wasn't allowed to get married until he'd  _died._ Her mother would say her father was joking, and her older brother would always chime in with something rude. She wondered what her family would have thought of her, if they could see her now. Being married for financial gain. It was like the medieval times or something. Maybe Fumi hoped that they would disapprove, so the situation would at least seem abnormal to _someone._

Fumi preformed her daily tasks like a puppet, without any real thought or feeling. She kept _thinking_ about the dreams she was having. She was having them more frequently. By that point, she was having them every night. She'd stopped telling Akira about them. They were all of bloody battle fields and violent wars. Not exactly dinner time topics. What was her life going to be like when she was with her husband? Unable to tell him about the future that was laid out before her feet by cruel gods. She'd be totally alone, silenced.

Fumi tossed her broom to the ground and cursed, flopping down on the wooden bench underneath a shady tree. The leaves were starting to change color. She pulled a strand of her brown hair and twisted it between her fingers. Her hair had always been something that she loved and cared for. However, it was plane, boring, compared to some of the colors she'd seen people naturally had in that world. Just like the tree. Just like their village. Unremarkable in every way. 

"Ah, hello again," a smooth voice said. Fumi's head snapped up and she met the bespectacled eyes of her shinobi acquaintance. "It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Light reflected off of Kyo's glasses, obscuring his eyes for less than a second. "Would your inn happen to have a spare room for one?"

Fumi looked at him with a partly opened mouth before nodding. "Um, yes, of course." She stood up and bowed to him. "Welcome back, Kyo-san," she said quietly. Gods, she must have looked like an  _idiot._ He, thankfully, ignored her choppy movements. "I'm sorry, the heat must be getting to me. I didn't see you coming." 

"It's alright," he waved it off, following her into the inn. He shut the door and removed his shoes, ever the polite guest. "Would you mind sharing a few drinks with me tonight, Fumi-san?" He asked. "I don't have any other companions to join me." 

She smiled at him. "Yes, I'll join you as soon as I've finished my chores for the day. It should only be another hour or two." 

"Plenty of time for me to clean up!" 

She showed him up to his room and left him alone. She didn't let herself panic until she was back outside, away from everyone else. Akira was away, visiting with one of the village elders, and there were no other guests in the inn. So she felt like it was fine to freak out a little bit. She smacked her forehead. She had no idea what to do. If she didn't tell Kyo about what she'd seen in her dream, he'd  _die._ She was sure of it. And soon. He had a small cut under his cheek, identical to the one he'd had in her dream. She'd memorized every detail about that dream since she saw it. 

But her mother would be  _pissed._ Well... _if_ she ever found out. 

How would she bring it up? 'Hey, you're going to die, here's how!' just spelled trouble for her. Maybe she could pass it off as a scary dream she had, which wasn't remotely a lie. He just didn't have to know that her dreams tended to come true. But if she told him it was a dream, he might not be ready for when those two  _murdered_ him. She cursed one last time. She'd just make it up as she went along. 

* * *

Fumi could admit that she had a few too many. Her and Kyo were exchanging pleasantries. Neither of them were outrageously drunk, but it became apparent after their third glass, that he could drink Fumi under the table. "You know..." she slurred slightly, running her fingers through her hair. "I gotta...I gotta tell you something."

Kyo chuckled quietly. "What would that be?" He asked.

"Two people are going to kill you. Probably this week. It was in the day time too," she said, swirling the alcohol around in her glass. He gave her an alarmed look, letting his drink down on the table. Observing her quietly. 

"And how would you know that?" He asked her, his voice controlled and pleasant as it always was. Though there was a slight teasing tone attached to it. 

"Mmm, I don't know," she shrugged. "I have dreams sometimes, ya know? Well anyways, this is what happens..." she rubbed her face and gave him a detailed play by play about what was going to happen. From the lighting, to what his attackers faces looked like. The entire explanation took about ten minutes, and he never once interrupted him. She reached up and tapped his forehead, then closed her eyes and leaned her head against the table. "Don't die," she said with a yawn. "You're a great customer."  

He said nothing. And he didn't mention it the next morning either, when it seemed like Fumi had forgotten their entire conversation. He left a day later, wishing her well, and leaving her and Akira to tend to their empty inn. 

* * *

Just a coincidence, that's what he told himself. He looked down at the bodies of the two shinobi that had leapt out at him not even ten miles away from the village. They matched her exact description. The battle had started exactly as she described it. Down to the letter. How had she known? He was tempted to turn back around and grab the little gnat and  _pull_ the information out of her. But he squashed that desire. That would take more time than was necessary. Orochimaru-sama was expecting him. Perhaps he could get permission to return sooner than he normally would have and murder her while she slept. He heard a rumor that she was getting married. Maybe he'd kill the groom to be and then use the girl for his experiments. He was lacking in unblemished corpses of women about her age. The rest had all be neatly divided into small jars filled with foul smelling chemicals.  

Perhaps he'd forgo anesthesia to teach her a lesson about making up stories. Or...for collaborating with his enemies? Or for having an annoying voice. Holding her head far to high for an illiterate peasant girl. There were any number of reasons he could come up with. Whatever fit the agenda, he supposed. He continued on his journey back to Otogakure, burning his attackers bodies before he left the area. 

The journey took less that thirty hours, and he arrived as exhausted as he left. He had one of the lower assistance take his bag back to his room. He wasn't worried about someone opening it. There'd a...surprise for anyone who tried. He walked through the halls, heading towards the lab, hoping he'd catch his master there so he could give his mission report in person. He wasn't, probably off training Sasuke. Kabuto sighed and sat down at the gray desk. He turned his arm over and looked at the small scratch, the only sign of the skirmish he'd had earlier. 

He shook it off and instead opened the journal one of the assistants had written about the latest experiment that Orochimaru-sama had been overseeing. It seemed like the experiment had more or less starved to death, even though it was eating. "A shame," he said with a sigh. It really had seemed like it would be a success. Kabuto scribbled a few notes in the margins, simple instructions for if the experiment was ever run again. He would have said he'd found the perfect subject, but the girl didn't have the proper muscle mass or bone structure. She was much to delicate. She wouldn't even survive past the first stage of the experiment.

He could find _something_ for her, he was sure. He didn't have very long to act. He'd heard that she was leaving with her groom to be in just under two weeks. Kabuto was lost in his thoughts, and from time to time they would drift back to the girl, but for the most part they remained on his work. He felt terribly behind. How had he managed to get _that_ far behind was beyond him. He'd been ahead when he left the base. He sighed, and rubbed his temples. Pretty soon, his naturally gray hair would turn silver from stress. He already felt like an old man. 

The door opened, and Kabuto stood, when he felt Orochimaru-sama's presence. He didn't have a hair out of place, so his training with Sasuke must have been more low maintenance.

"So you've returned," he said, his voice the low hiss that Kabuto had grown used to. "I expect your adventure has been productive?"

"Less than I had hoped," Kabuto admitted. He opened the file he'd been writing in. "It seems that I was wrong about that particular clan's Kekkei Genkai. It was far less promising than I had originally imagined. However, I still managed to take a sample, before someone discovered me. I was attacked just outside the boarder."

"Oh? You were suprised? That's surprising...you aren't loosing your edge, are you?"  The man asked, taking the file off of the desk and reading it over with sharp, golden eyes.

"I was not surprised. I would have defeated them even if I didn't know they were coming."

Orochimaru raised a sleek eyebrow. "You knew you were going to be attacked."

"Yes," he said, crossing his arms behind his back. "A girl from the local village said..." he stopped and laughed, shaking his head. "She said she saw me being attacked and killed in her dreams. I lightly grilled her on the subject after she'd had a few too many drinks. She said that she 'has dreams sometimes.' Utterly ridiculous, of course."

The Sanin looked somewhat intrigued by that notion, an amused smile on his face. "And was she correct?" He asked.

"Well yes, but...well you can't honestly believe her. It's absurd."

"Oh, yes it is. Impossible, even. And yet...stranger things have happened." He hummed and rubbed his chin with his thumb. "Tell me about this girl."

Kabuto sighed, and pushed his glasses further up his face. "She is sixteen years old. She and her mother run an inn in the middle of a no-name village on the boarder. She's engaged to one of the 'wealthier' peasants in the village. Together, they plan to travel to the capital of one of the two countries, which one I could not tell you. The village, apparently, has been receiving threats because of they haven't been paying anyone taxes. She's just as vapid and empty headed as any other peasant girl her age. Not to mention, overly trusting."

"And she says, that she sees the future when she dreams."

"Yes."

Orochimaru chuckled darkly and cast Kabuto a calculated look. "You went out looking for coal, and stumbled upon silver and gold. As impressive as always, Kabuto."

"Sir?" Kabuto's eyes flickered from side to side, looking nervously around the room.

"Go get her for me. Even if her claims prove false, it'll still be interesting. I confess myself...interested in her..." he stopped and laughed. "Abilities."

Kabuto waited a second for Orochimaru to tell him that he was kidding, and when it didn't come, he cracked his knuckles against his arm and bobbed his head up and down. "I...well I suppose I'll leave then..." He hadn't even been back for a full twenty-four hours. That little peasant child was going to pay. If only for being an inconvenience.   

* * *

Oh, that her too... _too_ solid flesh would melt off of her bones and turn into the morning dew under the chilly autumn sun. That her hair would change to brown leaves and be carried away to all the corners of the world by a strong wind. That her bones would turn to dust and dissolve into the earth. Oh, if only she would simply cease to exist. She was being dressed by two elderly women from the village, while her mother fussed over a yellow hairpin.

Fumi thought that she looked like a spirit. A ghost of her former self, certainly. Her face had been painted bone white. Her lips painted blood red. Her eyes were sculpted with a liquid form of coal, to give her a cat's eye. Her eyelids had been painted a light, dusty yellow. Her hair had been tied up in a tight bun, not a strand out of place. She looked beautiful. An elegant princess. And she hated it. She made sure to paint a smile on her face when her mother turned back around, holding the yellow hairpin in her hands.

Akira came over and place it in Fumi's hair, wiping tears out of her eyes. "Look at you...," she whispered. "My little girl, all grown up."

"We should start heading towards the temple, soon," one of the older women said. A white vail was place over Fumi's face, and the top layer of the _Shiro kakeshita_ over Fumi's shoulders. The group of four left the Inn and Fumi looked up at a murder of crows that flew off into the sky. She wished she could join them. Her hand was taken by Akira, and Fumi raised the hem of her kimono, following behind her.

"What in heaven is _that,"_ one of the older women said, stopping the entire group. The women all turned around and they all gasped out their shock, when they saw the smoke rising up from somewhere in the front of the village.

"What could that be?" Akira asked, looking worriedly at her daughter who just shrugged. "Well...I'm sure Kaito-san will handle it," Akira said. "Shall we con...tin...ue?" She trailed off when the first scream pierced the air. Then another. 

"Are we being attacked?" One of the old ladies asked, covering her mouth. She turned her glare of Fumi. "If you had just gotten married when we told you too-" 

" _Enough!"_ Akira snapped angrily, letting go of Fumi's hand and pushing the woman's shoulder. The four of them waited for a moment, trying to see if they could see what was happening. There was a whistle, and the old woman standing to Fumi's left collapsed to the ground with an arrow sticking out of her chest. The other three women screamed. Akira grabbed Fumi's wrist and pulled her forward. 

"Catch 'em boys!" They heard a man yell. 

Fumi looked over her shoulder, eyes widening in horror when she saw a man with a sword slung over his shoulder, dripping with blood. The other older woman was laying face down on the dirt, not moving. Akira pushed Fumi in front of her. "Run!" She screamed, pushing the back of her shoulders several times until Fumi was running as fast as her legs could possibly carry her. 

The smoke from the village was starting to grow black, and was choking her. She looked behind her, but couldn't see Akira. She could still hear her, however, screaming for Fumi to run. So she did. She turned around, throwing her sandals to the side, hoping to gain some speed. One of the men rushed from the smoke, and knocked Akira against a tree, bashing her head against the rough bark. She growled in anger when she fell to the ground, ripping part of her kimono. She grabbed a rock and smacked it against the side of the man's head. He growled in pain, and fell backwards. Fumi was up on her feet, tearing through the woods. Where could she possibly escape too?

Running, she was running. She could feel blood running down the side of her face. She tripped and managed to brace herself against a tree. She pressed her hand against the wound on her head, breathing deeply. She looked behind her and bit back a sob at the burning village she'd just escaped to. If she could just get over the border, she could get help. She stumbled weakly forward, using the tree to support herself. Her vision was swimming, she blinked rapidly. She gasped when she heard someone jump from the trees and land in front of her. She backed up, lost her footing, and almost fell over if it wasn't for strong arms that pulled her back on her feet.

"It's alright," Kyo's voice whispered, he let her go and held his hands up. "It's just me, I'm here to help. My team and I saw the smoke while we were on our way home. Come on, I'll take you to safety." He held his hand out to her and Fumi felt tears well up in her eyes at the relief she felt at hearing those words. She took his hand and he smiled easily at her. The light from the flames dance across the lenses of his glass, temporarily obscuring his eyes from her view. Was it her imagination or...?

"You're hurt," he said, gently pushing her hair behind her ear, looking at the wound at the side of her head. Fumi hadn't even noticed that her hair had come undone while she'd been running. "Here, let me heal that for you." His hand glowed green, clashing against the red of the air around them and gently laid it down on her temple. "Oh dear..." he sighed, shaking his head. "You went too far."

"Sorry, sorry, I got to into it," a man's voice said, stepping out of the trees. Fumi gasped and backed up into Kyo when she recognized the face of her attacker.

"You damaged the test subject," Kyo's voice scolded. Fumi looked up at him in confusion, and felt her heart stall for a moment at the... _evil_ look he gave her. "Orochimaru-sama requested this one personally."  His face shifted, and he looked down at her. A false kindness in his eyes, dancing with a secret cruelty that she couldn't quite explain. He smiled at her, none of the warmth she had come to associate with him. He touched the side of her face, and huffed when she let out a frightened gasp. "You should be more careful, Fumi-chan," he said. "Sometimes, things are not always as they seem." 

He moved at a lightening pace and smacked the back of her neck, sending her into a confused, scared, sleep. 

* * *

"This is a waste of time," the moody teenager said, narrowing his eyes at his teacher, who simply smirked at him. "You could be using this time to train me." 

"We all must take breaks, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru said, turning away from the boy. "Your training will resume tomorrow morning, but in the meantime...I have a new puzzle to solve." 

Sasuke huffed and left, closing the door of the laboratory, leaving Orchimaru and his righthand man alone to monitor the young woman's brainwaves. In her unconscious state, when she'd entered into REM, she  _did_ have a few odd activities in her frontal lobe. "I wonder...what she 'sees'" Orochimaru said, twirling a scalpel in his fingers, debating on if he should section her brain  _now_ or if he should wait to see what she was dreaming about when she woke up. 

If her impossible ability turned out to have any truth to it, perhaps it wouldn't be wise to waste a resource. She'd been right at least once already. And if what she told him wasn't satisfying, then he could let Kabuto have his way and dissect her. At the very least, if she could 'see' it would be amusing. He wondered, if she was indeed some kind of seer, if her powers could be trained and strengthened. Or passed on. Yes...he'd wait. Just a bit longer.

"Take her down to a room. Of course, make sure that she can't leave."

Kabuto seemed annoyed, and he tried _so hard_ to hide it. He pressed his lips together for a moment before stiffly bowing his head. He unhooked the brain monitors from the girl, and lifted her in his arms. Her head dangled down and an arm hung uselessly. She looked dead. The makeup that had smudged on her face was not helping matters. "And clean that garish mess off of her face. It gives me a headache even looking at it."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto said, before taking his burden out of the room. 

Truth be told, this reminded Orochimaru of something. When the war was in full swing, and he had just been given the title of 'Sanin' he remembered an elderly woman telling him...'the secrets of life are laid before you, if only you would look.' Of  _course_ she was right, so he'd taken her up on that and used her in one of his experiments. The people in her village believed the woman to have a second sight, just as that girl had sort of claimed to have. Perhaps, that was what the old woman was talking about. 

Orochimaru sighed, and threw his rubber gloves into the trash and sat at the desk, opening the file that he and Kabuto had made for the girl, in the short time she had been under their care. Her village was gone, and any person who knew of her existence was expunged from the Earth. No one was left to question what had happened to her. And it seemed, if Kabuto's story of her drunken ramblings held truth, then no one but them and her late mother had any knowledge of her possible abilities.  

Perfect.

He looked into the mirror catching sight of his own reflection. Perhaps Sasuke was correct, and this was just a waste of time. But at the very least, he'd have an interesting story to tell one day.   


	4. Dreams

_Dreams are today's answers to tomorrow's questions._

_-Edgar Cayce_

* * *

_"I'm not sure what you're expecting me to say," a young man sat across from an older man, sipping on a cup of tea. "It's just not possible. If I return, Orochimaru will kill me._ _Slipping a spy into one of his bases is a suicide mission. That's not what I signed up for."_

 _The older man looked at him in irritation. "Of course you did," he snapped. "Death is an occupational hazard. Why do you think you're being paid so much?"  The old man rolled his eyes and shook his head._ "Honestly,  _you're being absurd. Just kill her. Then she can't point out the spy."_

_"Yeah, that was my first thought too, only problem is I have no idea what she looks like."_

_"I don't expect that there are many sixteen year old's walking around Orochimaru's base, are there?" The old man asked, harshly. "Find her, and deal with it. We are not going to pull you out of your mission just because you were spooked by a little girl and Orochimaru fishing for information_. _That is not how the Shinobi of Sana handle their missions."_

_The young man tapped his fingers against his knee, and nodded. "Yes...you're right. Of course you are." He blew out a puff of air and bit his lip. "Perhaps she used to be a shinobi in Sana? That's how she must have been able to identify me."_

_"When did she tell Orochimaru about the spy?"_

_"I'm not sure. Maybe a few days. Three at the most."_

_"Then I'd get moving."_

_The young man bobbed his head and set the cup of tea down on the table. He reached down and grabbed his pack and stood up. "This might be it for me. You know that, right?" He asked._

_"I'm aware how this works. If you fail, we have someone ready to take your place." The man smirked._

* * *

Fumi sat up with a soft gasp. Her eyes widened when she took in the dark, unfamiliar surroundings. She was laying on futon that was laid down on a solid block of wood. There were no windows. There were two candles on either side of the room, giving very little light. Fumi stood from the bed and looked down when she felt cold metal against her ankle. There was a chain attached from her ankle to the bed post. She sat back down on the hard bed, and pulled her leg up, looking at it. There was no key hole, but there was a Kanji for 'lock' written on the side of the cuff. Someone had cleaned the makeup off of her face and changed her into a scratchy bleach washed kimono, that reached down to her ankles.

Where _was_ she? She...remembered the fire. The attack that she'd dreamt about more than a month ago. She remembered running into the forest, hitting her head, and Kyo. He'd been there, and healed her head. She reached up and touched her forehead, almost expecting there to be a still bleeding wound there. But then...all along he'd been... She remembered the look he gave her. His eyes wide with madness, a twisted smile showing off his perfectly white teeth. He looked like a monster was trying to burst through his skin. 

Fumi covered her mouth when she felt a sob rise in her throat. She was crying. She cursed herself, wishing that she could be stronger. Strong enough to break the chains and free herself. Strong enough to keep a level head in an impossible situation. Where had Kyo taken her? _Why_ did he take her?

For the moment, Fumi was alone, and she took the opportunity to scope out her room. The chain was short, not even letting her reach the wall furthest from the bed, where the door was. Even so, she suspected that the door was locked anyways. The walls she could touch, she ran her fingers over the stones, shivering as the cold seeped into her bones. It felt, almost, like the room was sucking out any warmth her body tried to produce. The clothes she was wearing were doing little to keep out the cold. There was a wooden desk, on the other end of the room. She opened the drawers and found only two more candles. Nothing to light them with. She groaned and slammed it closed. 

She must not have heard the door opening, because when she turned around, she yelped in surprise when she saw a tall figure standing in the shadow of the doorway. He slowly stepped into the candle light and Fumi's breath caught in her throat when Kyo sauntered in and smiled pleasantly at her. "I'm sure you must have questions," he said, shutting the door behind him, pushing a key into the lock and turning it, leaving them locked into the room together. "But...I admit that I have questions of my own." He walked closer towards him, his eyes obscured by the light reflecting off of his glasses, though his smile grew, and Fumi felt cold terror in her stomach. She backed up, only a few steps, into the desk.

Kyo reached out slowly and gently grabbed her wrist, and turned it over in his hand. He looked at her palm. "How did you know those two would attack me? Did they tell you?" He asked, tilting his head to the side. "Let me jog your memory. You and I were drinking and you told me  _such_ an interesting story. Now, you and I both know that you didn't see all of that in a dream. So...how did you know?" 

She opened her mouth, before snapping it closed. Had she...? Oh, her mother was going to be so angry. "I...I, sometimes I dream and-" she cut herself off with a screech when Kyo's hand tightened around her wrist. She could hear her bones grinding together. His facial expression didn't change, the same good-natured smile he always wore, looking down at her. She scratched at his hand, digging her nails into his flesh, but he didn't even flinch. "K-Kyo! Stop, please, you're hurting me!" 

He hummed, almost as if he hadn't heard her. His twisted her wrist to the side, and her heart stuttered when she heard a sharp 'crack' echo in her ears. Tears filled her eyes, and she almost threw up. She couldn't scream. She wasn't sure why, she  _really_ wanted to. She covered her mouth with her other hand, and swallowed vomit that was trying to rush out of her mouth. Kyo twisted her hand, and she found her voice again. She screamed loudly, begging him through her tears to let her go. 

She didn't notice the door opening a second time, and a man with long black hair entering. Both she and Kyo looked up when he cleared his throat. His skin was paper white, and his eyes were made from gold. And just like gold, they were cold and metallic. When she looked in his eyes, Fumi felt as if she had been caught by a deadly snake that was ready to devour her. He smiled widely while he walked further into the room. The thought that he was going to kill crossed her mind, when he stood by Kyo's shoulder and looked down, straight into her own wide eyes. 

"Leave us, Kabuto," he said. His voice a smooth hiss. He was talking to Kyo, who nodded, giving her wrist one final squeeze before letting go and leaving the room. She hickuped a few times, holding her hand to her chest, as delicately as she could. The newcomer observed her, his hair falling into his face. He didn't take his eyes off her for a second. Eventually he leaned away, no longer towering over her. "Sit," he said, pointing towards the chair, near the desk. She thought of resisting, but only for a moment. She slowly backed up towards the chair, not taking her eyes off of the man. She sat down in the chair and flinched when he knelt down, moving her hand away from her injury. 

His hand glowed green, and when he touched her arm, the pain left her. The light disappeared and she tightened her hand into a loose fist. Like it wasn't broken. She looked up at him in confusion.

"You'll have to forgive him," the man said, crossing his arms and leaning against the desk. "I suspect that he's fairly irritated with the fact that a civilian child was able to uncover a trap, that he didn't even know had been set for him." He observed her, unblinking.   

Looking deeper into his eyes, she realized that she _knew_ them. One of her dreams. It must have been. Yes. He'd asked her if she was lying to him. And she was afraid. "Who are you?" She asked, her voice soft, echoing on the walls of the room she'd found herself in. 

"That doesn't matter right now," he said. "What  _does_ matter, is your brain. Or rather, what happens in your brain while you sleep. See, you've been sedated for the past three days, and while you were asleep, Kabuto and I monitored your brain waves. When you enter the REM stage of sleep, your brain...wakes up, so to say. Are your claims true? Can you truly open and read fate so easily...little girl?" He asked, his voice taking on a mocking tone as he spoke. Fumi looked down at her hands, picking at the skin around her nails. They'd been so beautiful, her mother had spent an hour painting them.

"See, I have a theory about your dreams," the man continued. "You see things that will in some way eventually impact you. Such as with Kabuto. You saw him die, and if he had, your village wouldn't have been destroyed. Cause and effect. So, while you dreamt, I may have let it slip that you told me of a traitor in our midst. I said you described him to me in perfect detail. I _know_ that there are spies here in Oto, and I wouldn't be surprised if this caused them to act. So, tell me. Who is coming to kill you, little one?"

He leaned forward, putting his hand under her chin, grinning dangerously. "Kill me?" She asked, her voice shaking.

"Yes. I'm testing my theory. Of course...if it turns out that your visions are false, I'll have to kill you myself." His grip tightened, and Fumi winced, closing her eyes and gritting her teeth. "So tell me the truth."

She pulled her head away, needing to use a surprising amount of strength for such a loose grip. Of course, his theory made sense. But was she really going to condemn a man, to certain death, to save herself? But that man, he was going to kill her if he got the chance. So, turn about was fair play, right? But  _she_ would be directly responsible for another person's death. Would she be any better than the man standing before her? No, she wouldn't. But despite it all, she wanted to live. "Black, shoulder-length hair that was tied up higher on his head. He has a skinny face, his jaw bones are well defined. Deep set hooded green eyes. There's a burn on his face, under his left eye, and down to his jaw. He's young. Can't be more than twenty years old."

"Good girl," the man praised, then gently pat her on the head. "When I can confirm his identity. I will have you moved to more hospitable living quarters." He turned away from her, walking towards the door. 

"W-wait!" She called after him. He stopped, his hand on the doorknob, but he didn't turn around. "Are you...you aren't going to kill him, are you?" She asked, her voice shaking. 

He chuckled darkly and turned around, looking her in the eyes. "No," he said quietly, and yet holding a promise of an unimaginable pain for the man who had dared to slight the black-haired man. Then he left her alone. The candles went out when he shut the door.

* * *

He pressed his back against the wall, making sure that there was no one in the hallway. There wasn't. The god of luck was on his side that night. There was only one of the rooms that was in use, obvious by the fact that the door was locked. Shin crouched down, in front of the lock and pulled out his pick. It only took a few seconds to click to the lock open. He opened the door, letting the light from the hallway into the room. He saw a young woman sitting on the bed. 

Her hair was long, almost down to the middle of her back. She snapped her head, looking behind her. She gasped and stood up off of the bed and backed up into the wall. She looked terrified, her eyes red rimmed, like she'd been crying for hours. Her leg was chained to the bed posts. A prisoner then. He felt for the girl, he really did, but for the sake of the world he couldn't allow her to give him away to Orochimaru. But there was no need to make her suffer for very long. He stepped into the room, closing the door, and flooding the room in darkness.  

He heard her hiccup, and slid down to the ground. He walked forward, until his legs brushed against her. She lashed out, kicking him with a cry of rage and fear. She hit his shin. He didn't even stagger. Her kicks were weak. What was a civilian girl doing here? He pulled out a kunai and reached out, grabbing her by the hair and tilting her head back.  _'Just be quick,'_ he thought. She was struggling, smacking his hand, begging him through her tears not to hurt her. He moved the knife down and pressed it into her flesh. She screamed when she felt her blood on her neck. It was awful, honestly. He never enjoyed killing children. 

The door flew open and he let go of the girl when he felt several kunai pierce his back. He jumped back, and looked to the door, the room now flooded with low light of half burned out candles. Standing there was Yakushi, his arrogant grinning face looking him over inquisitively, a few kunai on the ends of his fingers. And beside him was the regal cut figure of Orochimaru, standing as if he owned the world, as if everyone and everything should fall before him and tremble. 

"It seems...there are more to your stories than meets the eye," Orochimaru said, slowly entering the room. He looked to his assistant who followed a few steps behind him. "Kabuto, deal with him, why don't you?" 

"Gladly." 

* * *

Her hands were shaking and she had dark circles under her eyes. Kabuto, because  _that was_ his name, was tending to the wound on her neck. She caught sight of herself in the reflective surface of a monitor that had been shut off and push to the side. She looked like death. Fumi looked over at Kabuto when he placed a metal dish down on a metal table next to the metal examination table she was sitting on.

She'd tried to fight him at first, when he put the cloth against her flesh to stop the blood, but he'd ignored her until his master told him to 'stop teasing her.' Then he'd brought her into his lab and ordered her to sit down without another word. He cleaned the cut with rough hands, and sewed it up. Nothing to dull the pain, no words of sympathy. Then he'd wrapped her neck in gauze and ordered her to stay still while he wrote something down furiously in a file.

"I..." she cleared her throat, and saw that he still wasn't giving her any attention. "I would...very much like to return home now."

"What are you talking about?" He asked, disinterested. "You aren't going anywhere."

"No, you don't understand...I have to go home."

He sighed and snapped the folder closed and gave her a blank look. "You, _dear,_ have the sorry misfortune of having caught Orochimaru-sama's interest. You will not be leaving. Well..." He stopped and smirked at her. "You'll leave eventually...in a body bag, of course."

She clutched her neck, her eyes widening. She placed her trembling hands in her lap, blinking back tears, her lips quivering. She felt cold. Just as cold as Kabuto's lab. Her skin was ice. "I would like to go to bed."

He chuckled and shook his head, turning around in his chair. "There is someone outside, who has been ordered to take you to your new quarters." He waved her away. She stayed seated on the metal table, not quite sure what to do with herself. He raised his hand, snapping his fingers several times, and pointing towards the door. "I have work to do." 

She slipped off the table, her feet making a soft tap against the tiled floor. She shuffled out of the room, opening the door, casting Kabuto one final look. He was writing diligently. She wondered if she could smack him over the head with a metal tray. No, probably not, would it be satisfying to try. She opened the door and found a man leaning against the wall. He looked rough and mean, looking as if he was  _made_ for that hallway. He turned and looked at her like she was dirt. 

"Follow," he snapped at her, grabbing her arm, and pulling her. His hand almost was able to wrap around her entire upper arm. He stopped in front of a patch of wall, not saying a word. He placed his hand on the wall, and a door slowly began to emerge out of the stone work. He turned the handle, before pushing her into the room. He didn't give her another look, before slamming the door. It disappeared, no sign that it had ever been there to begin with. 

The room lit with candles when the door closed, flooding it in a low yellow light. She slammed her hands against the wall, but knew that no one was coming back to let her out for quite awhile. So she explored her surroundings. There was a bed, a bit larger than the other room she'd been in before. With extra blankets that were folded up underneath the frame. There was another desk with a chair. This desk had a pencil and a notebook on it. There was a bathroom, with all the amenities she'd need. Some things were so fancy that she'd only heard about them, or saw them in the marketplace. There was even shampoo that smelled like peaches. 

There was a closet with several casual yukata. Something that she'd wear if she was working. A few of them had simple flower patterns on them. However, when she touched them she found that they were made from the finest silk she'd ever laid her hands upon. There was a small box inside the closet filled with hair pins, and a box next to that filled with different colored obi. But even as beautiful and finely made as they were, they were nothing compared to the Furisode that was folded up. It was mostly green, but there were light pink sakura flowers that covered the majority of the lower half, as well as most of the sleeves. 

Never, in her wildest dreams, did she ever think that she could ever wear something like that. She almost didn't want to touch it, worried that the oils from her fingers would ruin it. Why was that man giving her those things? 

The last of the strange gifts was a shamisen that was propped up on a stand in the corner of the room. She reached out and ran her fingers over the neck, swallowing thickly. What was happening?     


End file.
